(a) Eligible tenants. The HTF-assisted units in a rental housing project must be occupied by households who are eligible families in accordance with the income targeting requirements in §93.250.

(b) Rent limitations—

(1)

(i) Extremely low-income tenants. The HTF rent plus utilities of an extremely low-income tenant shall not exceed the greater of 30 percent of the federal poverty line or 30 percent of the income of a family whose annual income equals 30 percent of the median income for the area, as determined by HUD, with adjustments for the number of bedrooms in the unit. HUD will publish the HTF rent limits on an annual basis.

(ii) Very-low income tenants. The HTF rent plus utilities of a very low-income tenant shall not exceed 30 percent of the income of a family whose annual income equals 50 percent of the median income for the area, as determined by HUD, with adjustments for the number of bedrooms in the unit. HUD will publish the HTF rent limits on an annual basis.

(2) If the unit receives Federal or State project-based rental subsidy, and the tenant pays as a contribution toward rent not more than 30 percent of the tenant's adjusted income, the maximum rent is the rent allowable under the Federal or State project-based rental subsidy program.

(c) Initial rent schedule and utility allowance.

(1) The grantee must establish maximum monthly allowances for utilities and services (excluding telephone, television, and Internet service).

(2) The grantee must annually review and approve rents proposed by the owner for HTF units. For all units for which the tenant is paying utilities, the grantee must ensure that the rents do not exceed the maximum rent minus the monthly allowances for utilities.

(d) Periods of affordability.

(1) HTF-assisted units must meet the affordability requirements for not less than 30 years, beginning after project completion. The grantee may impose longer periods.

(2) The affordability requirements apply without regard to the term of any loan or mortgage, repayment of the HTF investment, or the transfer of ownership. They must be imposed by a deed restriction, covenant running with the land, an agreement restricting the use of the property, or other mechanisms approved by HUD under which the grantee and beneficiaries have the right to require specific performance, except that the affordability restrictions may terminate upon foreclosure or transfer in lieu of foreclosure. The affordability requirements must be recorded in accordance with State recordation laws.

(3) The grantee may use purchase options, rights of first refusal, or other preemptive rights to purchase the housing before foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure to preserve affordability.

(4) The affordability restrictions shall be revived according to the original terms if, during the original affordability period, the owner of record before the foreclosure, or deed in lieu of foreclosure, or any entity that includes the former owner or those with whom the former owner has or had family or business ties, obtains an ownership interest in the project or property.

(5) The termination of the restrictions on the project does not terminate the grantee's repayment obligation under §93.403.

(e) Tenant income.

(1) The income of each tenant must be determined initially in accordance with §93.151. In addition, in each year during the period of affordability, the project owner must re-examine each tenant's annual income in accordance with one of the options in §93.151(c) selected by the grantee.

(2) An owner who re-examines a tenant's annual income through a statement and certification in accordance with §93.151(a)(1)(iii) must examine the source documentation of the income of each tenant every 6th year of the affordability period, except that, for units that receive project-based assistance, the owner must re-examine the tenant's annual income in accordance with the project-based assistance rules. Otherwise, an owner who accepts the tenant's statement and certification in accordance with §93.151(a)(1)(iii) is not required to examine the income of tenants, unless there is evidence that the tenant's written statement failed to completely and accurately state information about the family's size or income.

(f) Over-income tenants. HTF-assisted units continue to qualify as affordable housing despite a temporary noncompliance caused by increases in the incomes of existing tenants if actions satisfactory to HUD are being taken to ensure that all vacancies are filled in accordance with this section until the noncompliance is corrected.

(g) Fixed and floating HTF units. In a project containing HTF-assisted and other units, the grantee may designate fixed or floating HTF units. This designation must be made at the time of project commitment in the written agreement between the grantee and the recipient, and the HTF units must be identified not later than the time of project completion. Fixed units must remain the same throughout the period of affordability. Floating units must be changed to maintain conformity with the requirements of this section during the period of affordability so that the total number of housing units meeting the requirements of this section remains the same, and each substituted unit must be comparable in terms of size, features, and number of bedrooms to the originally designated HTF-assisted unit.

(h) Tenant selection. The tenants must be selected in accordance with §93.303.

(i) Onsite inspections and financial oversight. See §93.404(d) for the grantee's ongoing responsibilities for onsite inspections and financial oversight.